Eels vs Sharks Prediction
This is the game where I disagree with the bookies…
Roosters vs Bulldogs Prediction
The Roosters are the form side of the competition and the Bulldogs have climbed into the top eight the hard way. Games between two sides in this sort of form get tight rather than loose, and the total is where the money is tonight.
NRL Round 23 • 2026
Model Predicted Final Score
SYD
$1.54
Friday, August 7 • 8:00pm AEST
23 : 11
Allianz Stadium
CBY
$2.48
Roosters by 12 points
Model Predicted Margin
Roosters by 12
Current Market
Roosters -4.5
7.5 pts edge
Our Bets This Game
H2HRoosters to win
$1.54
LINERoosters -4.5
$1.90
TOTALUnder 44.5 points
$1.91
MULTIRoosters -4.5, Under 44.5 points & Jethro Rinakama Anytime Try
$7.98
Claim Tips at bet365 - Offer bet365
Odds correct at time of posting
The Roosters Have Won Six Straight And Just Filled The Scoreboard Against The Cowboys. I Still Want The Under.
Two sides in form and a total the market has priced for a shootout.
I do not think it is one.
The 82 was a Cowboys problem, not a Bulldogs one
I know how the Roosters’ last game looked, and 82 points is the sort of scoreline that follows a side around for a fortnight. The form guide on this page will remind you of it all night. But the Bulldogs kept the Tigers scoreless and held the Warriors to six inside the last month, and that is a very different defence to the one the Roosters ran through.
What the team sheets do to 44.5
James Tedesco has not got up from an ankle injury and Cody Ramsey takes the fullback jersey. The Bulldogs get Sitili Tupouniua back after five games out with a hamstring. Neither sheet moves my number. Losing your fullback does not make a side score more, and a forward walking back in does not turn the Bulldogs into a points scoring team. If the lists nudge me anywhere, it is further under.
The Bulldogs’ problem is at the other end
The Bulldogs have climbed into the top eight on defence and on winning tight games. What they have not done is score. That is the whole bet. If you want a total in the forties you need both sides putting up numbers, and one of these two has spent the year winning without doing it.
Where I could be wrong
The Bulldogs’ middle has to hold. If it goes and the Roosters start getting repeat sets in good field position, this stops being a grind in a hurry and the total is the first thing to go.
Roosters vs Bulldogs Tip
I have the Roosters by twelve at Allianz, which covers the 4.5 with plenty to spare, and I make this a 34 point game, well under 44.5.
Roosters vs Bulldogs Key Stats
POINTS FOR
SYD28
CBY20
The Bulldogs figure is the one carrying this bet. A side scoring at that mark does not get a game to a big total on its own, so the Roosters have to put on almost the lot themselves, and nobody but the Raiders has done that to this defence lately.
MISSED TACKLES
SYD27
CBY34
The Bulldogs give up more of these, which is where the Roosters get on top and the 4.5 gets covered. The other side of it is the total: the Bulldogs have to earn every metre against a defence that hands them nothing, and that is slow work, not scoreboard work.
ERRORS
SYD13
CBY12
Neither of them is coughing it up much. Few turnovers means few cheap sets and few easy tries, so both attacks have to build everything from their own half. That is an under.
Roosters vs Bulldogs Form Guide
Sydney Roosters
WWWWW
- R17: W 24-18 vs Broncos
- R19: W 28-12 vs Eels
- R20: W 14-6 vs Storm
- R21: W 23-22 vs Knights
- R22: W 82-12 vs Cowboys
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
WLWWW
- R17: W 30-12 vs Titans
- R19: L 16-40 vs Raiders
- R20: W 32-0 vs Wests Tigers
- R21: W 18-6 vs Warriors
- R22: W 36-22 vs Storm
Ben’s Verdict
Back the Roosters to win it by more than the 4.5, and back the scoreboard to stay quiet while they do it. The risk is another 82 point game like last week against the Cowboys. If that Roosters side turns up, the 44.5 is gone before halftime.
Our Bets
H2H Roosters to win$1.54
LINE Roosters -4.5$1.90
TOTAL Under 44.5 points$1.91
MULTI Roosters -4.5, Under 44.5 points & Jethro Rinakama Anytime Try$7.98
Player Prop Predictions
Matt Burton to score a try, $3.20. Burton got there last start and that is a try in three of his last six. Nothing flash about $3.20, just a bloke who keeps finding a way over.
Josh Curran to score a try, $6.00. Curran does not do things by halves. He has been over twice in a game on two occasions across this run and he was back on the board last time out. At $6.00 you only need one of those nights.
Stephen Crichton to score a try, $3.50. Two last start for Crichton, so he arrives here with the scoring boots on. Three of his last five have brought a try and $3.50 for a bloke coming off a double is the play.
Sam Walker to score a try, $3.05. Three last start. Sam Walker was quiet before that but I have the Roosters winning by twelve, and if the Chooks are on top he is the one benefiting at $3.05.
Jethro Rinakama to score a try, $2.20. Jethro Rinakama crossed again last start and he has scored in four of his last six games, the most reliable finisher on this page. Even in a 34 point game he is the Bulldog I trust to get there, which is why $2.20 anchors my multi.
The Props I Like
PROP Matt Burton Anytime Try$3.20
PROP Josh Curran Anytime Try$6.00
PROP Stephen Crichton Anytime Try$3.50
PROP Sam Walker Anytime Try$3.05
PROP Jethro Rinakama Anytime Try$2.20
Player Props MultiJethro Rinakama Anytime Try, Stephen Crichton Anytime Try & Matt Burton Anytime Try, my price $24.64
These prop odds are Sportsbet’s, correct at time of posting. Prices move, so check before you bet and take the best one going. Late team changes can knock out any leg.
Up Next in the NRL
Key Facts
| Match | Sydney Roosters vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Date | Friday, August 7 |
| Kick-off | 8:00pm AEST |
| Venue | Allianz Stadium |
| Round | NRL Round 23 |
| Status | Scheduled |
| Our Tip | Multi: Roosters -4.5, Under 44.5 points & Jethro Rinakama Anytime Try @ $7.98 |
| Predicted Score | Sydney Roosters 23 – Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 11 |
Sydney Roosters vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs FAQs
Who will win Roosters vs Bulldogs?
I am tipping the Roosters. They sit second on the ladder, they come in on six straight wins and I make them twelve points better at Allianz.
What is the best bet in Roosters vs Bulldogs?
My headline multi at $7.98 rolls the line and total in with a player prop, Jethro Rinakama Anytime Try. On its own, Roosters -4.5 at $1.90 is the anchor.
Will Roosters vs Bulldogs be a high scoring game?
I do not think so. The Roosters have been filling the scoreboard, but they have not run into a defence like this one in a while, and the Bulldogs kept the Tigers scoreless and held the Warriors to six inside the last month. That is why I have the Roosters at 23 rather than another 82 point game, and 23-11 sits well under 44.5.
Who is Sydney Roosters playing next week?
The Roosters play the Panthers - at CommBank Stadium on Thursday 13 August in NRL Round 24.
Who is Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs playing next week?
The Bulldogs play the Rabbitohs - at Accor Stadium on Friday 14 August in NRL Round 24.
